THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE:West to East Detailed Itinerary May 10/17 The Northwest Passage remains one of the world s last true frontiers, and this expedition takes you to its heart. In Canada s vast northern wilderness, wildlife roams free and the great geological forces shaping our planet reveal themselves to the wondering eye. The recent finding of Franklin s ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror reminds us that we sail into history, legend, and myth that continues today! Nunavut s communities offer a warm welcome, blending the traditional and the contemporary in unique and compelling ways. Making our way north to Smith Sound, we enter the realm still defined by ice: towering icebergs, vast glaciers, and the last redoubt of the great northern pack. Greenland offers geology, geography, and culture with a European flair. Facts & Highlights 17 Days Start in Kugluktuk (Coppermine), Canada and finish in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland All meals on board included Travel aboard the Ocean Endeavour Experience the northern lights in all their majesty Enjoy visits to vibrant Inuit communities Cruise the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the world s fastestmoving glacier Travel the route that has enchanted explorers for centuries Visit the historic graves of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition Make the most of excellent opportunities to encounter whales and polar bears Departure Dates & Price Sep 02 Sep 18, 18 Triple Cabin Interior Twin Exterior Twin Main Twin Comfort Twin Select Twin Superior Twin Junior Suite Suite - $10895 USD - $12595 USD - $14095 USD - $15595 USD - $17095 USD - $18595 USD - $20095 USD - $21595 USD - $23095 USD Prices do not include $250 Discovery Fee. Activity Level: 1 Comfort Level: Seas can be rough. Zodiac landings required. Accommodations All travel aboard the Ocean Endeavour. US/CAN 1-800-741-7956 UK 0808-234-1714 INTL. 001-416-588-5000
ellesmere Is. grice fiord melville bay victoria Is. kugluktuk beechey is. prince of wales island queen maud gulf gjoa haven bylot is. baffin Is. foxe basin baffin bay davis strait itilleq fjord ilulissat kangerlussuaq Day 1 Kugluktuk (Coppermine) Located at the mouth of the Coppermine River, southwest of Victoria Island on the Coronation Gulf, Kugluktuk is the westernmost community in Nunavut. Coppermine reverted to its original Inuinnaqtun name Kugluktuk, meaning place of moving waters on January 1st, 1996. The Coppermine River itself is designated a Canadian Heritage River for the important role it played as an exploration and fur trade route. Copper deposits along the river attracted the first explorers to the area. Upon arrival on our charter flight to Kugluktuk, we embark the Ocean Endeavour. Day 2 Coronation Gulf Located between Victoria Island and the Arctic coast of mainland Canada, the Coronation Gulf is an extensive body of water that is linked to the Arctic Ocean via the Dolphin and Union Strait on the west and by the Dease Strait and Queen Maud Gulf on the east. The gulf was named in 1821 by John Franklin in honour of the coronation of King George IV. The environment and Inuit cultural history of the region 2
was studied by Rudolph Anderson and Diamond Jenness in 1916 as part of the Canadian Arctic Expedition. We will be exploring the area, and making an opportunistic expedition stop. Day 3 Queen Maud Gulf Sir John Franklin s flagship, the HMS Erebus, was a Hecla-class bomb vessel, built in Wales in 1826. She was named after the dark region in Hades of Greek mythology and weighed 372 tons. The ship took part in the Ross Expedition from 1839 to 1843, and was abandoned during the legendary Franklin Expedition after becoming icebound during an attempt to locate the fabled Northwest Passage. Her sunken wreck had actually been designated a National Historic Site prior to being located in September of 2014 by a Parks Canada underwater archaeology team. Two years later, Franklin s other ship, Terror, was located, spurring further interest in one of the great mysteries of polar exploration. is a nine-hole golf course, known to be Canada s most northerly. Although Usqsuqtuuq is becoming more modern, many traditional Inuit activities are still being enjoyed, including throat singing, drum dancing, and hunting. Days 5-7 Peel Sound & Parry Channel As we head north up Peel Sound, we get into serious polar bear country and will be on the lookout for good spotting opportunities. Parry Channel is named after Arctic explorer William Edward Parry who got as far as Melville Island in 1819 before being blocked by ice at McClure Strait. Depending on ice conditions, we may make expedition stops along the way among the spectacular landscapes, a perfect setting for hiking and exploring the geological diversity of the area. Our experts will interpret historical and archeological sites for us wherever we land! Day 4 Usqsuqtuuq (Gjøa Haven) In 1903, explorer Roald Amundsen, while looking for the Northwest Passage, sailed through the James Ross Strait and stopped at a natural harbour on the island s south coast. Unable to proceed due to sea ice, he spent the winters of 1903 04 and 1904 05 at Usqsuqtuuq. While there, he learned Arctic living skills from the local Netsilik Inuit, skills that would later prove invaluable in his Antarctic explorations. He used his ship, the Gjøa, as a base for explorations in the summer of 1904, sledding the Boothia Peninsula and travelling to the magnetic North Pole. Usqsuqtuuq offers a lot to its visitors, including he Northwest Passage Territorial Historic Park, where visitors can learn about the voyages of explorers such as Frobisher, Ross, and Franklin. Also, there Day 8 Beechey Island In 1845 Sir John Franklin took his expedition of 129 men and two ships into the Wellington Channel. Not a soul returned from the fateful expedition. It was two years before search parties were launched. Aside from the bodies of three souls buried here, only relics were found as clues to the disappearance. The three graves found at Beechey Island left no indication as to the fate of the rest of the British party. A fourth grave, that of a sailor from a search party, completes a haunting historic site here. In the autumn of 2014, Canadian archaeologists discovered remnants of the HMS Erebus in the frozen waters of the Northwest Passage, and in 2015, her sister ship the Terror was similarly located. 3
Day 9 Lancaster Sound We will spend two days exploring Lancaster Sound a proposed Marine Protected Area, with large populations of marine mammals, including narwhal, beluga whales, and bowhead whales. There is a great selection of landing sites available. Weather, wildlife, and sea conditions will influence our choice of landing today. Day 10 Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord) Aujuittuq means place that never thaws. It is an apt name for this peaceful hamlet, 1,150 kilometres above the Arctic Circle. Canada s northernmost civilian community is a living reminder of the Cold War; residents were relocated to Aujuittuq in an effort to boost Canadian sovereignty. We ll be welcomed by the population of about 165. Our activities will centre in the village where we will have a chance to meet members of the community, learn about their way of life, and hear their poignant stories. Day 11 Smith Sound We will spend a day exploring this fabled body of water that served as the main route for explorers and adventurers searching for the North Pole. Adolphus Greely, Sir George Nares and Elisha Kent Kane all travelled these waters with varying degrees of success. The Sound was named by William Baffin after Sir Thomas Smythe, promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage. Between forty-eight and seventy-two kilometres wide, and eighty-eight kilometres long Smith Sound is often packed with ice and provides favourable conditions for wildlife viewing. Days 12-14 Northwest Greenland There are a number of charming fishing villages and majestic fjords along the west coast of Greenland. Depending on timing and sea conditions, we way call in at one of these communities to experience small town Greenlandic life, or explore the stunning fjords that line the coast. This is a day in the true spirit of expedition travel and we will avail ourselves of any and all opportunities that present themselves. Day 15 Ilulissat Ilulissat translates literally into iceberg, and there couldn t be a more fitting name for this stunning coastal community, with its museums, cafes and craft studios. Our visit will include time in the colourful town and a chance to hike out along a boardwalk to an elevated viewpoint where we can observe the great fields of ice. We will also cruise in our fleet of Zodiacs through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Ilulissat Icefjord. The Icefjord is home to the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier, the most active and fastest moving glacier in the world at nineteen metres per day, calving more than thirty-five square kilometers of ice annually. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years. 4
Day 16 Itilleq Fjord The west Greenland coastline is a rich mixture of fishing communities, many islands and complex coastal waterways. We will be making an expedition stop here to explore the Greenlandic landscape. Day 17 Kangerlussuaq, Greenland We will make our journey down spectacular Sondre Stromfjord, and early risers will have a chance to experience its beauty. Sondre Stromfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and boasts 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at its eastern head, means the big fjord. We will disembark the Ocean Endeavour and make our way to the airport to meet our charter flights home. 5
The Ocean Endeavour details: Maximum: 198 passengers Outfitted with twenty Zodiacs, advanced navigation equipment, multiple lounges and a top deck observation room, the Ocean Endeavour is purpose-built for passenger experiences in remote environments. The Ocean Endeavour boasts a 1B ice class, enabling her to freely explore throughout the Arctic summer. Launched in 1982, she has had numerous upgrades, most recently in 2010 and 2014. Aurora Lounge aboard the Ocean Endeavour. Exterior Twin Cabin aboard the Ocean Endeavour. 6
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Questions & Answers 1. How big are the groups? The Ocean Endeavour is a 198 passenger vessel. On board you will also have between 10 to 15 resource staff. 2.what is included in the tour price? From day 1 to disembarkation meals, entrance fees, and accommodations are included. 3.what is not included in the tour price? International & charter flights, tips, Discovery Fund fee of ($250USD). Personal expenses like alcoholic beverages, telephone calls, internet & laundry are not included and put onto their ship board account which is payable in USD the night prior to disembarkation. Ships crew gratuities are not included, we suggest between $10-$14 per day per passenger. This goes into a lump sum and distributed to the entire crew equally. 4.what is the Discovery Fund? The Discovery Fund is the result of committed passengers longing for a way to give back to the regions they have visited during their expeditions. Our local supplier has made a point to support local organizations and groups focusing on the environmental, cultural and educational needs of each region you will visit. Our local supplier, in cooperation with their friends in the North, assess where the demand is the greatest and supports each cause through monetary donations. Each passenger who travels with our local supplier donates an additional $250 USD to ensure the longevity and success of the initiatives in these regions. Throughout the voyage you will see some of the projects that we have funded over the years. Your donation goes a long way and helps ensure that many of these important organizations, many at the grassroots level, are able to carry on. Most of these local initiatives do not have charitable status and thus do not have the ability to issue tax receipts. If it is essential for you to obtain a tax receipt for your donation, the local supplier will send your portion to an organization which has this capability. 5. Are these educational tours? Yes, in the broadest sense of the word, educational. We visit museums and local villages. We also have talks and discussions on many aspects of the history and culture of the areas travelled, but this is only one aspect of what we do. We believe that it is equally educational to meet new people on a non- commercial basis. Sometimes the most educational moments are spent having a cold drink with the locals. 6. How do we travel during the tour? We cruise on our vessel and often use zodiac s for our adventure excursions. 7.what are our accommodations like? The ship offers interior and exterior cabins. All cabins have private washroom facilities, a phone for internal calls, radio, TV and air-conditioning. There are a variety of cabin categories available ranging from 9-30 m2 (100-320 sq ft). Please call for pricing and cabin availability. 8.what about the weather? We travel during the northern summer season. In general, we can experience temperatures between 35-55 F (1-12 C). 9. when is payment due? A non-refundable deposit of $1500 USD (plus insurance if you desire it) is due as soon as you decide to go and will reserve your place on the tour. The balance of the land payment is due 120 days before departure. Cancellation charges are applicable and these are outlined in the Terms & Conditions section of our brochure.
10. Is medical insurance required? Insurance coverage is not included in the cost of your trip. Please note that medical insurance is required for this adventure with a minimum of $75,000 coverage for evacuation insurance, including air ambulance. We strongly recommend cancellation and interruption insurance as well! ElderTreks offers comprehensive travel insurance and we are happy to provide you with a quote if you call our office. If you are purchasing insurance elsewhere, please ensure you provide the details to ElderTreks as soon as possible. 11. what meals are included? All meals are included, starting with dinner on day 1 and finishing with breakfast on departure day. 12.what should I take on the tour? There is a detailed What to Take list in our Trip Kit, which we will send to you after you have booked the trip. 13. can you arrange my flights? We would be happy to take care of your air arrangements. ElderTreks offers personalized flight itineraries, not group flights. Stop over enroute, come in a few days early, or extend your stay. Call us for a customized itinerary. 14. what if I would like more information? If you have any further questions about the adventure, please call our office for more details. A Trip Specialist will be happy to answer your questions. A Trip Kit containing further details on the destination will be sent to you once you have booked the trip. 10